Hands on steering wheel detect

ABSTRACT

A method for determining whether hands of an operator of a vehicle are positioned on a hand wheel of the vehicle is provided. The method generates a first frequency content below a first frequency from a hand wheel torque signal. The method generates a second frequency content above a second frequency from the first frequency content of the hand wheel torque signal. The method generates a hands on wheel (HOW) estimate signal based on the first frequency content and the second frequency content by determining a first contribution of the first frequency content to the HOW estimate signal, determining a second contribution of the second frequency content to the HOW estimate signal, and combining the first contribution and the second contribution to generate the HOW estimate signal. The method causes a system in a vehicle to operate based on the HOW estimate signal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/608,375 filed Jan. 29, 2015, which patent application claims priorityto U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/932,953, filed Jan.29, 2014, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In order to detect whether the hands of a vehicle operator arepositioned on a hand wheel of the vehicle, some conventional detectionsystems require one or more sensors placed on the hand wheel. Thesignals from the sensors are then routed to a controller and processedto make a final determination of whether the hands are on or off thehand wheel. Providing additional sensors to detect if the vehicleoperator's hands are positioned on the hand wheel adds cost andcomplexity to a steering system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment of the invention, a method for determining whetherhands of an operator of a vehicle are positioned on a hand wheel of thevehicle is provided. The method generates a first frequency contentbelow a first frequency from a hand wheel torque signal. The methodgenerates a second frequency content above a second frequency from thefirst frequency content of the hand wheel torque signal. The methodgenerates a hands on wheel (HOW) estimate signal based on the firstfrequency content and the second frequency content by determining afirst contribution of the first frequency content to the HOW estimatesignal, determining a second contribution of the second frequencycontent to the HOW estimate signal, and combining the first contributionand the second contribution to generate the HOW estimate signal. Themethod causes a system in a vehicle to operate based on the HOW estimatesignal.

In another embodiment of the invention, a control system of a vehicle isprovided. The control system comprises a hand wheel torque sensorconfigured to generate a hand wheel torque signal based on a movement ofa hand wheel of the vehicle and a control module for determining whetherhands of an operator of the vehicle are positioned on a hand wheel ofthe vehicle. The control module is configured to generate a firstfrequency content below a first frequency from a hand wheel torquesignal, generate a second frequency content above a second frequencyfrom the first frequency content of the hand wheel torque signal,generate a hands on wheel (HOW) estimate signal based on the firstfrequency content and the second frequency content, and cause anothersystem in a vehicle to operate based on the HOW estimate signal.

These and other advantages and features will become more apparent fromthe following description taken in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularlypointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion ofthe specification. The foregoing and other features, and advantages ofthe invention are apparent from the following detailed description takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a functional block diagram of a steering system inaccordance with exemplary embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of a control module in accordancewith exemplary embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a hand wheel torque filteringmodule in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of a hands on wheel (HOW)estimate calculation module in accordance with exemplary embodiments ofthe invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a weighting function in accordance with exemplaryembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a weighting function in accordance with exemplaryembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic diagram of a HOW state calculation modulein accordance with exemplary embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic diagram of a confidence determinationmodule in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates a graph that shows an example operation of theconfidence determination module in accordance with exemplary embodimentsof the invention; and

FIG. 10 illustrates a flow diagram illustrates a method for determiningwhether hands of an operator of a vehicle are positioned on a hand wheelof the vehicle in accordance with exemplary embodiments of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is notintended to limit the present disclosure, its application or uses. Itshould be understood that throughout the drawings, correspondingreference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features.

Referring now to FIG. 1, where the invention will be described withreference to specific embodiments without limiting same, exemplaryembodiments of a vehicle 10 including a steering system 12 areillustrated. In some embodiments, the steering system 12 includes a handwheel 14 coupled to a steering shaft 16. In some embodiments, thesteering system 12 is an electric power steering (EPS) system thatfurther includes a steering control unit 18 that couples to the steeringshaft 16 of the steering system 12 and to tie rods 20, 22 of the vehicle10. The steering control unit 18 includes, for example, a rack andpinion steering mechanism (not shown) that may be coupled through thesteering shaft 16 to a steering actuator motor and gearing (hereinafterreferred to as the steering actuator). During operation, as the handwheel 14 is turned by a vehicle operator (driver), the motor of thesteering control unit 18 provides the force to move the tie rods 20, 22which in turn move steering knuckles 24, 26, respectively, coupled toroadway wheels 28, 30, respectively of the vehicle 10. Although an EPSsystem is illustrated in FIG. 1 and described herein, it is appreciatedthat the steering system 12 of the present disclosure can includevarious controlled steering systems including, but not limited to,steering systems with hydraulic configurations, and steer by wireconfigurations.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 10 further includes various sensors(e.g., sensors 31 and 32) that detect and measure observable conditionsof the steering system 12 and/or of the vehicle 10. The sensors generatesensor signals based on the observable conditions. In some embodiments,the sensors may include, for example, a hand wheel torque sensor, avehicle speed sensor, and other sensors. The sensors send the signals tothe control module 40. In some embodiments, the signals from sensors aretime domain based signals each having a sequence of data points measuredat successive time intervals. Only two sensors are depicted in FIG. 1for simplicity of illustration but the vehicle 10 may have many moresensors.

A control module 40 controls the operation of the steering system 12and/or the vehicle 10 based on one or more of the enabled sensor signalsand further based on the hands on wheel (HOW) detection system andmethod of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the controlmodule generates HOW estimate signal and/or HOW state values based on ahand wheel torque signal from the hand wheel torque sensor. In someembodiments, the HOW estimate signal represents a value within a range(e.g., 0 to 1) that indicates the likelihood that the hands of anoperator of the vehicle 10 are on (e.g., 1) or off (e.g., 0) the handwheel 14. In some embodiments, the HOW state signal represents anenumerated discrete value that specifies the confidence level of theoperator's hands on or off of the hand wheel 14.

In some embodiments, the control module 40 causes other system(s) (notshown) of the vehicle 10 to operate based on the HOW estimate signal andthe HOW state signal by supplying the signals to the system(s). Suchother systems may include advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) andelectronic stability control (ESC) systems. Some of the types of ADASare adaptive cruise control systems, lane keeping assist systems andlane centering control steering systems. ESC systems, on the other hand,use computerized technologies that improve vehicle handling by detectingand preventing unstable conditions. In some cases, these other systemsneed to know whether the operator hands are on or off the hand wheel toprovide respective features of the systems. In some embodiments, the HOWestimate signal and the HOW state signal may be used to alert theoperator of vehicle 10 to take control of the hand wheel 14 by, forexample, sending audio, visual, and/or haptic notifications to theoperator.

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of the control module 40 of FIG.1 in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the invention. As shown,the control module 40 may include submodules, such as a hand wheeltorque (HWT) filtering module 202, a HOW estimate calculation module204, and a HOW state calculation module 206. As used herein the termsmodule and sub-module refer to an application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated,or group) and memory that executes one or more software or firmwareprograms, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitablecomponents that provide the described functionality. As can beappreciated, the sub-modules shown in the figures can be combined and/orfurther partitioned. As can be appreciated, the sub-modules shown in thefigures can be implemented as a single control module 40 (as shown) ormultiple control modules (not shown). Inputs to the control module 40can be generated from the sensors of the vehicle 10, can be modeledwithin the control module 40 (e.g., by other sub-modules (not shown)),can be received from other control modules (not shown), and/or can bepredefined.

The HWT filtering module 202 receives a HWT signal 208, which isgenerated and sent by the hand wheel torque sensor of FIG. 1. In someembodiments, the HWT signal is a digital signal. In some embodiments,the hand wheel torque signal is an analog signal, which may be digitallysampled by another module (not shown) before being received by the HWTfiltering module 202. The HWT filtering module 202 processes the HWTsignal 208 to generate a high frequency torque signal 210 and a lowfrequency torque signal 212. More details of the HWT filtering module202 will be described further below with reference to FIG. 3.

The HOW estimate calculation module 204 processes the high frequencytorque signal 210 and the low frequency torque signal 212 to generate aHOW estimate signal 214. In some embodiments, the HOW estimate signal214 represents a value within a range (e.g., from 0 to 1) that indicatesthe likelihood that the hands of an operator of the vehicle 10 of FIG. 1are on (e.g., 1) or off (e.g., 0) the hand wheel 14 of FIG. 1. Moredetails of the estimate calculation module 204 will be described furtherbelow with reference to FIGS. 4, 5, and 6.

The HOW state calculation module 206 generates a HOW state signal 216based on the HOW estimate signal 214. In some embodiments, the HOW statesignal 214 represents an enumerated discrete value that specifies theconfidence level of the operator's hands on or off of the hand wheel 14.More details of the HOW state calculation module 206 will be describedfurther below with reference to FIGS. 7, 8, and 9.

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of the HWT filtering module 202of FIG. 2 in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the invention. Asshown, the HWT filtering module 202 may include submodules such as lowpass filters (LPFs) 302, 304, and 306, a high pass filter (HPF) 310, again correction module 312, an absolute value calculation module 314, aLPF 316, and an absolute value calculation module 318.

In some embodiments, up to three LPFs 302-306 are cascaded to have astiff rate of roll-off. The LPFs 302-306 filter the HWT signal 208 toextract the low frequency content 320 out of the HWT signal 208. In someembodiments, the LPFs 302-306 have a cutoff frequency of 5 hertz (Hz).The low frequency content 320 is within a frequency band of 0 Hz to 5 Hzin these embodiments. The absolute value calculation module 318 thentakes the absolute value, or the magnitude, of the low frequency content320 to generate the low frequency torque signal 212.

The HPF 310 filters the low frequency content 318 to get a highfrequency content 322 from the low frequency content 320. In someembodiments, the HPF 310 has a cutoff frequency of 1 Hz so that the highfrequency content 322 falls within a frequency band of 1 Hz to 5 Hz ifthe low frequency content 320 falls within a frequency band of 0 Hz to 5Hz.

In some embodiments, the gain correction module 312 performs gaincorrection on the high frequency content 322 by multiplying the highfrequency content 322 by a high frequency gain value 324. Thegain-corrected high frequency content 326 is supplied to the absolutevalue calculation module 314, which takes the absolute value, or themagnitude, of the gain corrected high frequency content 326. LPF 316then filters the output 328 of the absolute value calculation module 314to generate the high frequency torque signal 210. In some embodiments,the LPF 316 has a cutoff frequency of 5 Hz, which may be the same as thecutoff frequency of the LPFs 302-306.

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of the HOW estimate calculationmodule 204 of FIG. 2 in accordance with exemplary embodiments of theinvention. As shown, the HOW estimate calculation module 204 may includesubmodules such as a high frequency weighting module 402, a lowfrequency weighting module 404, an addition module 406, a multiplicationmodule 408, an addition module 410, a rate limiter module 412, a limitermodule 414, and a time delay module 416.

The high frequency weighting module 402 and the low frequency weightingmodule 404 determines relative contribution of the high and lowfrequency torque signals 210 and 212 to the HOW estimate signal 214.Specifically, the high frequency weighting module 402 implements aweighting function shown in FIG. 5. In the graph 500 shown in FIG. 5,the horizontal axis represents the magnitude of high frequency torque(e.g., in Newton-meter (Nm)) while the vertical axis represents aweighting rate for the high frequency torque signal 210. The lowfrequency weighting module 404 of FIG. 4 implements a weighting functionshown in FIG. 6. In the graph 600 shown in FIG. 6, the horizontal axisrepresents the magnitude of low frequency torque (e.g., in Nm) while thevertical axis represents a weighting rate for the low frequency torquesignal 212. In some embodiments, the weighing functions may beimplemented in the form of tables, where weighting rate values areindexed by the values of the high and low frequency torque signals 210and 212. The frequency functions or the tables are calibratable. In someembodiments, the output values of the frequency functions or tablevalues are scheduled to additionally depend on a vehicle velocity signal(e.g., generated by a vehicle speed sensor, which is one of the sensors31 and 32 of FIG. 1). It is to be noted that considering thecontribution of the high frequency content allows for a more accurateHOW estimation, especially when the hand wheel 14 of FIG. 1 is lightlytouched by the hands of the operator.

Referring to FIG. 4, the addition module 406 adds the outputs 418 and420 of the high frequency weighting module 402 and the low frequencyweighting module 404. The multiplication module 408 then multiplies thesum 422 of the outputs by the loop time 424. In some embodiments, theoutput 426 of the multiplication module 408 is unitless. The additionmodule 410 then adds the output 426 and a previously generated HOWestimate value (delayed by the time delay module 416) to generate anoutput 428. The rate limiter module 412 then calculates the rate of thechange from the previously generated HOW estimate value to the output428 by subtracting the previously generated HOW estimate value from theoutput 428 and dividing the result of the subtraction by a unit of time.In some embodiments, the rate limiter module limits the rate of thechange to a calibratable limit by adjusting signal 428. The calibratablelimit provides for tuning the maximum rate or speed at which the HOWestimate value changes. The output 430 of the rate limiter module 412 isthe output 428 that may or may not have been adjusted. The limiter 414then limits the output 428 to a range of values between, e.g., 0 and 1,in order to generate the HOW estimate signal 214.

FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic diagram of the HOW state calculationmodule 206 of FIG. 2 in accordance with exemplary embodiments of theinvention. The HOW state calculation module 206 monitors the HOWestimate signal 214 and generates the HOW state signal 216 thatspecifies the confidence level of the vehicle operator's hands on or offof the hand wheel. Specifically, in some embodiments, HOW state signalrepresent enumerated discrete values that represent different confidencelevels. For instance, the enumerated discrete values are integersbetween −3 and 3, where −3 indicates high confidence that the hands areoff the hand wheel while 3 is high confidence that the hands are on thehand wheel, −2 indicates medium confidence that the hands are off thehand wheel, 2 indicates medium confidence that the hands are on the handwheel, −1 indicates low confidence that the hands are off the handwheel, 1 indicates low confidence that the hands are off the hand wheel,and 0 indicates that whether hands are on or off the hand wheel isundetermined.

As shown in FIG. 7, the HOW state calculation module 206 includessubmodules such as confidence determination modules 702-712, a maximumselector module 714, and a HOW state selector module 716. Each of theconfidence determination module 702-712 monitors the HOW estimate signal214 and outputs an index number, which is used to select a value fromthe enumerated confidence levels.

Specifically, in some embodiments, the confidence determination module702 outputs 0 or 1, the confidence determination module 704 outputs 0 or2, the confidence determination module 706 outputs 0 or 3, theconfidence determination module 708 outputs 0 or 4, the confidencedetermination module 710 outputs 0 or 5, and the confidencedetermination module 712 outputs 0 or 6. The operation of the confidencedetermination modules 702-712 will be described in more details furtherbelow with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.

In these embodiments, the maximum selector module 714 identifies thelargest index value among the six index values that the confidencedetermination modules 702-712 output and sends the largest index valueto the HOW state selector module 716. The HOW state selector module 716then selects a HOW state value from an array of [0, −1, −2, −3, 1, 2, 3]using the largest index value received from the maximum selector module714. The HOW state selector module 716 outputs the selected HOW statevalue as the HOW state signal 216.

FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic diagram of a confidence determinationmodule 800 in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the invention.The confidence determination module 800 implements one of the confidencedetermination modules 702-712 of FIG. 7.

Determination of a sign value 802 is illustrated in a dotted box 804shown near the lower left corner of FIG. 8. The sign value 802 is usedto indicate a sign (e.g., positive or negative) of a particular value bybeing multiplied to the particular value. An OnFlag 806 may have a valueof 0 or 1, where 0 indicates a timer is off and 1 indicates the timer ison. The box 808 sets the sign value 802 to 1 (i.e., positive) if theOnFlag 806 is not 0 and to −1 (i.e., negative) if the OnFlag 806 is 1.

Determination of an index value 810 by monitoring the HOW estimatesignal 214 is shown in a dotted box 812. Box 814 takes an absolute valueor a magnitude of the HOW estimate signal 214. The box 816 assigns asign to the absolute value of the HOW estimate signal 214 by multiplyingby the sign value 802. Box 818 assigns a sign to a threshold value 820by multiplying by the sign value 802. Box 822 compares the outputs ofthe boxes 816 and 818. If the output of box 816 is greater than or equalto the output of box 818, box 822 outputs 1 (i.e., a Boolean true). Ifthe output of box 816 is less than the output of box 818, box 822outputs 0 (i.e., a Boolean false).

Box 824 assigns a sign to a threshold value 820 by multiplying by thesign value 802. The subtractor 826 subtracts a deadband 828 from thesigned threshold 820. The deadband 828 represents a subrange of valueswithin the range (e.g., from 0 to 1) of the HOW estimate signal 214. Box830 compares the outputs of the box 816 and the subtractor 826. If theoutput of box 816 is greater than or equal to the output of subtractor826, box 830 outputs 1 (i.e., a Boolean true). If the output of box 816is less than the output of subtractor 826, box 830 outputs 0 (i.e., aBoolean false). The output of box 830 is TimerOn 832, which indicateswhether the timer is on or off. TimerOn 832 is the same as OnFlag 806shown in the dotted box 804.

Box 834 takes as inputs TimerOn 832 and TimerRunning 836. TimerRunning836 is a flag that indicates whether the timer is running (e.g., 1) ornot (e.g., 0). That is, TimerRunning 836 indicates whether the timer isgetting incremented or paused. Box 834 resets, increments, or pauses toincrement the timer based on TimerOn 832 and TimerRunning 836.Specifically, box 834 increments the timer (e.g., by 1) when TimerOn is1 and TimerRunning is 1. Box 834 pauses to increment the timer whenTimerOn is 1 and TimerRunning is 0. Box 834 resets the timer to, e.g., 0when TimerOn is 0.

Box 842 compares the output of the box 834 (i.e., the timer) withTimerDuration (depicted as TimerDur), which is a value representing athreshold duration of time. If the timer is greater than or equal toTimerDuration, box 842 outputs 1 (i.e., a Boolean true). If the timer isless than TimerDuration, box 842 outputs 0 (i.e., a Boolean false). Box838 outputs StateValue 840, which is an index value (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4,5, or 6) if the output of box 842 is not 0 (i.e., is 1). Box 838 outputsan index value of 0 if the output of box 842 is 0. StateValue 840 isdifferent for each of the confidence determination modules 702-712 ofFIG. 7 that the confidence determination module 800 implements.

The output of box 838 is the index value 810, which is therefore anoutput for each of the confidence determination modules 702-712 of FIG.7. That is, in some embodiments, the index value 810 is 0 or 1 when theconfidence determination module 800 implements the confidencedetermination module 702. The index value 810 is 0 or 2 when theconfidence determination module 800 implements the confidencedetermination module 704. The index value 810 is 0 or 3 when theconfidence determination module 800 implements the confidencedetermination module 706. The index value 810 is 0 or 4 when theconfidence determination module 800 implements the confidencedetermination module 708. The index value 810 is 0 or 5 when theconfidence determination module 800 implements the confidencedetermination module 710. The index value 810 is 0 or 6 when theconfidence determination module 800 implements the confidencedetermination module 712.

Box 848 delays the index value 810. Box 848 determines whether the index810 is equal to 0. If the index value 810 equals to zero, box 844outputs 1 (i.e., a Boolean true). If the index value 810 is not 0, box844 outputs 0 (i.e., a Boolean false). Box 846 performs a logical ANDprocess on the output of box 822 and the output of box 844. The outputof box 846 is set to TimerRunning 836.

In some embodiments, the threshold value 820 is configured to be adifferent value for each of the confidence determination module 702-712.For instance, the threshold 820 may be set to the lowest value for theconfidence determination module 702, to an incrementally higher valuefor the confidence determination modules 704-710, and to the highestvalue for the confidence determination module 712. In some embodiments,the deadband 828 and/or TimeDuration may be set differently for each ofthe confidence determination modules 702-712.

FIG. 9 illustrates a graph 900 that shows an example operation of theconfidence determination module 800 of FIG. 9. Specifically, thevertical axis of the graph 900 represents the values of the HOW estimatesignal 214, and the horizontal axis of the graph 900 represents time.The dotted line 902 represents the threshold value 820 of FIG. 8. Thedifference between the dotted line 902 and the dotted line 904represents the deadband 828 of FIG. 8. The horizontal axis may bedivided into timer-off and timer-on periods. A timer-on period may bedivided into timer accumulating (incrementing) periods and timer holding(paused) periods.

Referring now to FIG. 10, a flow diagram illustrates a method forgenerating a HOW estimate signal, which the control module 40 may beconfigured to perform. As can be appreciated in light of the disclosure,the order of operation within the method is not limited to thesequential execution as illustrated in FIG. 10, but may be performed inone or more varying orders as applicable and in accordance with thepresent disclosure. In some embodiments, the method can be scheduled torun based on predetermined events, and/or run continually duringoperation of the vehicle 10.

At block 1002, the control module 40 generates a first frequency contentbelow a first frequency from a hand wheel torque signal. In someembodiments, the control module 40 uses one or more low pass filtersthat have the first frequency as a cutoff frequency (e.g., 5 Hz). Thefirst frequency content, therefore, has a portion of the hand wheeltorque signal that has frequencies between, for example, 0 Hz and 5 Hz.In some embodiments, up to three low pass filters are cascaded to have astiff rate of roll-off.

At block 1004, the control module 40 generates a second frequencycontent above a second frequency from the hand wheel torque signal. Morespecifically, in some embodiments, the control module 40 generates thesecond frequency content from the low frequency content. In someembodiments, the control module 40 uses a high pass filter that has thesecond frequency as a cutoff frequency (e.g., 1 Hz). The secondfrequency content, therefore, has a portion of the hand wheel torquesignal that has frequencies between, for example, 1 Hz and 5 Hz, in someembodiments.

At block 1006, the control module 40 generates a hands on wheel (HOW)estimate signal based on the first frequency content and the secondfrequency content. Specifically, in some embodiments, the control module40 determines first contribution of the first frequency content to theHOW estimate signal. The control module also determines secondcontribution of the second frequency content to the HOW estimate signal.The control module 40 combines the first contribution and the secondcontribution to generate the HOW estimate signal. In some embodiments,the control module 40 limits a rate of change of the HOW estimatesignal. In some embodiments, the control module 40 also limits the HOWestimate signal to a range of values (e.g., values between 0 and 1).

At block 1008, the control module 40 optionally causes a system in avehicle to operate based on the HOW estimate signal by sending the HOWestimate signal to the system. The system includes at least one ofadvanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), electronic stability control(ESC) system, and an alerting system that notifies the operator of thevehicle to take control of the hand wheel.

At block 1010, the control module 40 optionally generates a HOW statesignal from the HOW estimate signal. Specifically, in some embodiments,the control module 40 sets the HOW state signal to a discrete value inresponse to determining that the HOW estimate signal stays above apredetermined threshold value for longer than a threshold duration oftime. In some embodiments, the control module 40 causes the system tooperate further based on the HOW state signal.

While the invention has been described in detail in connection with onlya limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood thatthe invention is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, theinvention can be modified to incorporate any number of variations,alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretoforedescribed, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of theinvention. Additionally, while some embodiments of the invention havebeen described, it is to be understood that aspects of the invention mayinclude only some of the described embodiments. Accordingly, theinvention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description.

Having thus described the invention, it is claimed:
 1. A method fordetermining whether hands of an operator of a vehicle are positioned ona hand wheel of the vehicle, comprising: generating a first frequencycontent below a first frequency from a hand wheel torque signal;generating a second frequency content above a second frequency from thefirst frequency content of the hand wheel torque signal; generating ahands on wheel (HOW) estimate signal based on the first frequencycontent and the second frequency content by determining a firstcontribution of the first frequency content to the HOW estimate signal,determining a second contribution of the second frequency content to theHOW estimate signal, and combining the first contribution and the secondcontribution to generate the HOW estimate signal; and causing a systemin a vehicle to operate based on the HOW estimate signal.
 2. The methodof claim 1, wherein the generating the first frequency content comprisesusing a plurality of cascaded low pass filters with the first frequencyas a cutoff frequency.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the generatingthe second frequency content comprises using a high pass filter with thesecond frequency as a cutoff frequency.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein the generating the HOW estimate signal comprises limiting a rateof change of the HOW estimate signal.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinthe generating the HOW estimate signal comprises limiting the HOWestimate signal to a range of values.
 6. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising generating a HOW state signal from the HOW estimate signal.7. The method of claim 6, wherein the generating the HOW state signalcomprises setting the HOW state signal to a discrete value in responseto determining that the HOW estimate signal stays above a predeterminedthreshold value for longer than a threshold duration of time.
 8. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the causing the system to operate comprisescausing the system to operate further based on the HOW state signal. 9.The method of claim 1, wherein the system comprises at least one ofadvanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), electronic stability control(ESC) system, and an alerting system that notifies the operator of thevehicle to take control of the hand wheel.
 10. A control system of avehicle, comprising: a hand wheel torque sensor configured to generate ahand wheel torque signal based on a movement of a hand wheel of thevehicle; and a control module for determining whether hands of anoperator of the vehicle are positioned on a hand wheel of the vehicle,the control module configured to: generate a first frequency contentbelow a first frequency from a hand wheel torque signal; generate asecond frequency content above a second frequency from the firstfrequency content of the hand wheel torque signal; generate a hands onwheel (HOW) estimate signal based on the first frequency content and thesecond frequency content by determining a first contribution of thefirst frequency content to the HOW estimate signal, determining a secondcontribution of the second frequency content to the HOW estimate signal,and combining the first contribution and the second contribution togenerate the HOW estimate signal; and cause another system in a vehicleto operate based on the HOW estimate signal.
 11. The system of claim 10,wherein the control module is configured to generate the first frequencycontent by using a plurality of cascaded low pass filters with the firstfrequency as a cutoff frequency.
 12. The system of claim 10, wherein thecontrol module is configured to generate the second frequency content byusing a high pass filter with the second frequency as a cutofffrequency.
 13. The system of claim 10, wherein the control module isconfigured to generate the HOW estimate signal by limiting a rate ofchange of the HOW estimate signal.
 14. The system of claim 10, whereinthe control module is configured to generate the HOW estimate signal bylimiting the HOW estimate signal to a range of values.
 15. The system ofclaim 10, wherein the control module is further configured to generate aHOW state signal from the HOW estimate signal.
 16. The system of claim15, wherein the control module is configured to generate the HOW statesignal by setting the HOW state signal to a discrete value in responseto determining that the HOW estimate signal stays above a predeterminedthreshold value for longer than a threshold duration of time.
 17. Thesystem of claim 15, wherein the control module is configured to causethe system to operate further based on the HOW state signal.
 18. Thesystem of claim 10, wherein the other system comprises at least one ofadvanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), electronic stability control(ESC) system, and an alerting system that notifies the operator of thevehicle to take control of the hand wheel.